Posts Tagged ‘Belly’

Finding the right outfit that fits you can be difficult because of belly fat. Aside from the physical aspect, having a protruding fat in your abdomen can lead to serious health risks. Belly fat is a type of visceral fat. It develops when white fat increases in your abdomen, burrowing deeper into your organs. Visceral fat mixes cortisol, a stress inducing hormone and cytokines, an inflammatory substance that can affect the production of insulin in your body. Aside from the risk of being overweight and having type 2 diabetes, belly fat is also linked to certain heart diseases.

Follow these easy ways to lose that belly fat and gain that gorgeous abs:

Keep your body moving

Aerobic exercises can help you better to melt the visceral fat in your belly. Try indulging in activities that can get increase your heart rate like running, biking or swimming. Losing belly fat thru aerobic exercises and activities is better than doing resistance training. Researchers from Duke University found out that jogging the equivalent of 12 miles per week can help you lose the bulge in your belly.

Eat more protein

Protein is essential for losing weight and of course in getting a slimmer abdomen. Having a good amount of protein in your diet helps your body against insulin resistance. As you age your body will produce more insulin, your muscles and fat cells will not assist to it properly. Insulin promotes fat storage particularly in your abdomen area.

More polyunsaturated fats

Saturated fat is most likely to increase visceral fat in your body compared to polyunsaturated fat. Eat more fish, nuts and seeds, these foods are a good source for polyunsaturated fat. Based on study in Sweden, subjects ate 750 more calories per day for a period of seven weeks, either in the form of palm oil (saturated) or sunflower oil (polyunsaturated) the formed gained an increase of visceral fat compared to those who consumed polyunsaturated fat who actually gained more muscle mass and fewer body fats.

Daily dose of vinegar

Acetic acid from vinegar helps in producing protein that burns up fat in our body. In Japan, a study was conducted on obese people who took 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar for 8 weeks; it showed significant decrease in visceral fat.

Practice yoga

Based on a research conducted in 2012, postmenopausal women who did yoga for 16 weeks showed significant decrease in visceral fat. If yoga is not your thing try other relaxation exercise or even some simple breathing exercise can help you. The reason behind this is yoga and other relaxation exercise assist in lowering levels of stress hormones like cortisol which is connected to belly fat.

Get the right amount of sleep

Sleeping only for five hours or less per night can increase the levels of visceral fat in your body based on the study conducted by Wake Forest University in 2010. Sleeping for 8 hours is ideal to burn the fat in your belly.

Drink more green tea

Try to drink green tea as an alternative to your coffee. It has antioxidants known as catechins that help in getting rid of belly fat especially if paired with moderate exercise.

Don’t over sleep

Ladies who wakes up and sleeps on the same time each night have lower levels of body fat, according to a study by Brigham Young University. Irregular sleeping habits can mess up your body clock that leads to your body secreting more cortisol, which is a fat storing hormone.

More fiber

Eat more foods that are high in fiber. Two small apples or one cup of green peas is equivalent to 10 grams of soluble fiber. Regular fiber intake helps in reducing visceral fat by up to 3.7% in five years.